Pingyao-sers

Got into Pingyao early yesterday morning at 3:30 after a 12 hour train ride. The people next to us were eating shrink wrapped chicken feet. looked yummy. we got off the train and were met by 2 cab drivers hawking for our business. We chose one over the other and they start to argue. we get to our hostel and it was closed for the night. meanwhile the other cab driver pulls up and starts to yell at our driver. it's 4:00 am and deathly quiet on the street and we have no place to go. our driver pulls out a club, like a basbeall bat, and we thought they were about to have a bloody fight. after some yelling they don't end up throwing down. thank god. so we are taken to another hostel down the street and spend a few hours sleeping. we got up and explored beautiful Pingyao. then we go to an awesome buddhist temple and the Pingyao fire department proceeds to have a drill inside the temple grounds. we actually got to see a real chinese fire drill. very nice. anyway...off to Xian by bus soon. we'll post more pics later. bye for now.